Taunton tattoo artist leaving mark on some big names

A local tattoo artist is beginning to make a big name for himself, having already attracted some high profile clientele.

Ryan Jones, 23, a Taunton native, began working at Action Ink on Broadway four years ago after graduating from Coyle and Cassidy High School. Since then, he has tattooed NBA players Jeremy Lamb and Greg Smith.

By Christopher Nichols

The Herald News, Fall River, MA

By Christopher Nichols

Posted Dec. 28, 2012 at 12:01 AM
Updated Dec 28, 2012 at 5:29 PM

By Christopher Nichols

Posted Dec. 28, 2012 at 12:01 AM
Updated Dec 28, 2012 at 5:29 PM

Taunton

» Social News

A local tattoo artist is beginning to make a big name for himself, having already attracted some high profile clientele.

Ryan Jones, 23, a Taunton native, began working at Action Ink on Broadway four years ago after graduating from Coyle and Cassidy High School. Since then, he has tattooed NBA players Jeremy Lamb and Greg Smith.

He will also be tattooing Dont’a Hightower of the New England Patriots in the near future, he said, and he created a logo design for Chase Rice’s albums — an up-and-coming country singer who also appeared on the “Survivor” reality television show.

“I’ve been drawing since I was young,” Jones said, adding that it was only a hobby for him in high school. “After high school, I was thinking of it seriously as a career. I decided to give it a try, and since then I’ve been doing it. Worked out well for me.”

His first big name client was Lamb, who contacted Jones after seeing his work on the internet.

“Jeremy Lamb, he saw my work, and he came down here when he played at UConn,” Jones said.

Since, Jones said he has done about eight tattoos for Lamb.

As a freshman, Lamb was the second leading scorer on the 2011 national champion University of Connecticut Huskies basketball team. He was drafted by the Houston Rockets in the 2012 NBA Draft.

It was while Lamb was on the Rockets — he has since been traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder — that Jones was given the opportunity to tattoo Lamb’s teammate, Greg Smith.

In order to complete the tattoos, Jones was flown out to Houston and stayed with Lamb for about a week, he said. He gave both Lamb and Smith a tattoo while in Houston.

Now, he gets to see his artwork whenever Lamb or Smith are on the television.

“It’s cool,” he said. “I see Jeremy a lot. I’ve been following his games since I tattooed him.”

“As far as clients, those are definitely the ones I’m most proud of,” he added.

His latest tattoo for Lamb was this past Thanksgiving when the Thunder came to the area to play the Boston Celtics.

“He just got off the flight before he called me for a tattoo,” Jones recalled.

For his work, Jones was given two complimentary tickets in the tenth row at the Celtics’ game the next night.

Jones said he was also recently contacted by Hightower for a tattoo after the Patriots’ rookie linebacker saw his work on Twitter. He said he hopes this tattoo will lead to other Patriots players coming to him in the future.

“It’s definitely flattering,” Jones said of being sought for tattoos by professional athletes. “It’s definitely a step in the right direction for what I’m trying to do. I’m trying to get my name out there, and the higher profile the client, the better.”

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“So far, so good,” he added.

Celebrity paintings

As a creative way to get his name known, Jones said he also decided to create paintings of celebrities. He has since created and presented paintings for hip hop artists Big Sean and Wiz Khalifa, both of which were well received by the artists, he said.

“I just think of different ways to market myself and get my name out there, so I decided why not shoot for the stars and go for these hip hop artists. So far, I’m two for two,” Jones said.

For Jones’ first painting, a portrait of Big Sean, he tried to contact his management team for weeks, telling them he was a tattoo artist and painter who had a painting of Big Sean.

“They were blowing me off for the longest time,” Jones said, adding that he eventually was able to send them a picture of his painting. “...They were like, ‘Wow, those are a lot better than we were expecting.’“

Jones was able to present his painting to Big Sean before a concert at the Ryan Center at the University of Rhode Island.

“It was awesome. We had it under a tarp, talked to him a little bit,” Jones said. “...He’s a humble guy, real nice guy.”

Jones said Big Sean has since contacted him to let him know that the painting is hanging in Big Sean’s house.

For Wiz Khalifa, Jones presented the painting to his management team before a concert at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence. Backstage, Wiz Khalifa tweeted a picture of Jones’ painting.

“That night, he posted pics of it, and it got like 35,000 ’likes’ in one hour. So that worked out pretty good,” Jones said.

For his next celebrity painting, Jones said he hopes to paint the hip hop duo Chiddy Bang soon.

Continuing his career

Sitting at his station at Action Ink with photos of his tattoos and paintings, Jones said that while he’s proud of some of the celebrities he’s tattooed, he takes the same pride in all of his work.

“I take pride in all my tattoos. So far, I just love the people I’m meeting,” he said.

“I am dedicated to my artwork and tattoos, passionate about it,” he added. “I am a very competitive person and am constantly striving for bigger and better things for myself and my artwork.”

In addition to tattoos and paintings, Jones has also created murals for local residents and businesses. Recently, he completed a centennial mural for Coyle and Cassidy, his alma mater, and has been asked to paint a second mural in the school’s hallways.

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This summer, he will also be painting a mural at DeAvila’s Restaurant in Taunton.

“That’s the big one. That’s going to be really cool. I’m looking forward to that one,” he said.

He continues to tattoo at least twice a day at Action Ink, and he said he is looking to launch his clothing line — “REAL” with a backwards ’R’ — in the near future.

He also created the local clothing line Klutch and the Kid.

Jones can be reached for a tattoo appointment at Action Ink or through his website www.realryanjones.com. His website will also link to his clothing line once it launches, he said.

Those interested can also follow Jones at his Facebook page “Real Ryan Jones” or his Twitter at @realryjones.